LEGO design team needs your input!

[CopMike]

From TLG:

Dear RLUG Ambassadors,

This is a unique chance to provide feedback to the team who develops special brick LEGO products.

Melody Caddick - LEGO designer in the LEGO Group Licensing & Extended Line Products division (whom many of you know already) – asks for your feedback on some of the projects that is in their current portfolio. The goal is to let the design team know how we are doing with the existing special LEGO brick products. For this feedback session we are not taking input on products you would like to see in the future.

What to do:

Please find five individual briefings (attached). You can choose to answer as many briefings you like. Please keep comments straight to the point and please elaborate your answers so the design team will know the motivations and thoughts behind your answers. There is no need to answer every question, only what is relevant to you!

How to share your feedback:

Kindly email straight to Melody: Melody.Caddick@lego.com. You can send either Word documents, PDFs, or simply copy the questions/answers into the mail.

Timing:

The design team needs your feedback no later than end of day September 23rd, 2016.

Who can participate:

RLUG Ambassadors and RLUG members. The questions asked are not confidential, thus we greatly appreciate if your would share the briefings with your RLUGs.

Follow-up:

Melody will join us on LAN end October/beginning November to provide an update on what happened with the feedback you provided.

Kind regards,

Yun Mi

Community Strategist

So here´s your chance to give valuable input on the stuff we love!

I´ve made five documents into one, where you can give your opinion & answers and then mail Melody!

Get the document here!

[Cwetqo]

I would also like to invite everybody to contribute! When we usualy want to express on current LEGO sets to the people who make them, we are instructed to use Customer Service or something similar. I worked with Mel on evaluating the questions, and she told me that this is meant to go directly to design department and that she will be back with their feedback.

So, if you ever wanted to say something about special, limited, Gift with Purchase or other "non-standard" sets, now it's the time to do it!

Thank you!

[x105Black]

So this is only open to members of user groups? Unfortunately, I am not a member, but I would have loved the opportunity to contribute to the conversation.

[dr_spock]

So this is only open to members of user groups? Unfortunately, I am not a member, but I would have loved the opportunity to contribute to the conversation.

You are a member of Eurobricks. Eurobricks is recognized as an online LUG.

[allanp]

Well not knowing these even existed I don't own any of these so I'm not sure if I should answer. But I will say I am very happy to see a wedding set. In a world that seems all too happy to throw away Christianity I am glad to see the Lego group are at least willing to acknowledge it's existence in a neutral or positive way

[dr_spock]

Click the link to form our ambassador provided, there are other questions and sets, not just those shown in the sample picture.

[Aanchir]

Well not knowing these even existed I don't own any of these so I'm not sure if I should answer. But I will say I am very happy to see a wedding set. In a world that seems all too happy to throw away Christianity I am glad to see the Lego group are at least willing to acknowledge it's existence in a neutral or positive way

You do know that weddings exist in other religions besides Christianity, right? And a lot of the wedding customs presented in this set, like a white bridal gown, a wedding ring, and a wedding arch, have more cultural and geographic roots than strictly religious ones.

[allanp]

You do know that weddings exist in other religions besides Christianity, right? And a lot of the wedding customs presented in this set, like a white bridal gown, a wedding ring, and a wedding arch, have more cultural and geographic roots than strictly religious ones.

Yeah, yeah, well......um......Lego make advent (totally christian) calendars!

Seriously though lets not continue this discussion, the mods don't like it

[Cwetqo]

So this is only open to members of user groups? Unfortunately, I am not a member, but I would have loved the opportunity to contribute to the conversation.

Everbody can participate! It's not LUG related survey, so it doesn't matter, as long as you take some time and put in goog, well thought answers.

Survey may be a bit long, that's why it's divided into 5 parts and you can choose to just answer those that are interesting to you.

[x105Black]

You are a member of Eurobricks. Eurobricks is recognized as an online LUG.

Everbody can participate! It's not LUG related survey, so it doesn't matter, as long as you take some time and put in goog, well thought answers.

Survey may be a bit long, that's why it's divided into 5 parts and you can choose to just answer those that are interesting to you.

Sweet, good to know. I will definitely fill this out!

[mediumsnowman]

This is a great opportunity to get feedback straight through to the designers, and I for one am quite excited to see what changes will come of it.

I'll have to see if I can make time to fill out the survey myself.

[Staslegomaster]

LEGO design team needs your input!

Eurobricks member answers.

Category

1:

Miscellaneous 1

Your name: Stas Bushmaking

Age: 31

Country: Russia

AFOL/TFOL/ Collector/Other?: Collector

Children? Adult

Please answer the following (where applicable) about the products seen b

elow:

40161

- What am I? / 40165 - Wedding Set / Chicken House

If you have purchased or received any of these produ

cts as part of a purchase/promotion/ etc., please answe

r the

following: Received 40165



[Staslegomaster]

Hi, LEGO designers! I sent you an e-mail today about 40165 Wedding set. I failed to write my opinion in LEGO products feedback win. Fans must do it till September, 23d. About myself. I’m an 31 years of age buying LEGO for myself. What I think about the set – And this little awesome set looks ready to be put on a wedding cake. Or it can be a part of a diarama. It's awesome. No faults. It’s for adults who would like a LEGO style wedding. Especially if there’ll be a wedding hall in LEGO House, Billund. What to improve - It’s better to add the bride’s father and 2 Cupids on the arch. I saw the set on the site Classic pirates.com. And I decided to get it.

[Aanchir]

Finished the survey and sent it in! It took me a few days to put all my thoughts together. It got pretty long, so I think I will put my responses in spoiler tags so that people who don't want to read a long, rambling post don't have to scroll through all of it.

Category 2: Miscellaneous 2

LEGO products in Blister packs:

• How do you feel about the Minifigures being pre-assembled in any of the Minifigure/Accessory blister packs?
  
  • I normally do not mind the minifigures in accessory packs like 853544 and being pre-assembled. It certainly boosts their shelf presence, although I sometimes wonder whether that adds to the cost, which is quite high relative to the piece count.
    The minifigures being pre-assembled in sets like 5004076 and 5004077 did result in the capes of the Chima figures becoming crumpled, which was mildly disappointing even though I did not buy those sets specifically for those figures.
    

  [*]Do you consider them desirable in each theme as currently offered or could an alternative build model, shooter for a specific theme etc. be more desirable?

  • It varies. The sets I mentioned above are desirable due to including four minifigures with totally exclusive printing for roughly $3.75 apiece (a good value). Other sets like 851342, 853515, and 853516 are more of a mixed bag because they include a mix of exclusive minifigure parts and generic minifigure parts that can be obtained from other sets with a better parts value.
    Packs like 850632 and 853570 are not desirable to me at all because they are entirely made up of figures and parts that I could easily get from other sets with a better price per piece. To make these sets desirable, they would need either a price $5–10 lower, a piece count 100 or so pieces higher, or more exclusive contents. Otherwise, what advantage is there to buying 853570 instead of 60127, which has just as many prison guards and crooks plus 66 more bricks and instructions for playable models, all for just two thirds of the price of the blister-packaged accessory set?
    Also, I would love it if there were blister packaged sets with exclusive LEGO Elves mini-dolls. The latest LEGO Elves webisodes and TV specials do a good job populating the world of Elvendale with diverse elf characters. However, in the sets, there are very few elves except for the main characters and a handful of supporting characters. Accessory sets would be a great way to introduce more elf characters to populate Elvendale towns.
    

  [*]Are blister packs (with Minifigures/Accessories pre-assembled) ok or would you prefer it in a standard LEGO box?

  • The blister packs are alright and I do not mind them for the packs that include totally exclusive figs, since these feel "worth the money". The only disadvantage is needing to tear apart the box to open them (I prefer to flatten out and keep my boxes to preserve the box art). The Target-exclusive Minifigure Gift Sets are the best blister-packaged minifigures. They look brilliant on a shelf yet can be opened without tearing the beautiful packaging apart.
    For the boxes that do not include exclusive minifigures, I would prefer them without blister packaging if it meant substantially more bricks or a substantially lower price. But if the price and piece count stayed the same, then changing the packaging would not make me any more likely to buy them.
    

If you have purchase from the Pick-A-Brick Wall:

• Have you taken part of the Pick-A-Model/Pick-and-Build program? And if so, where?
  
  • No, I have not. I do appreciate the fact that the Pick-A-Model program has led to more varied bricks on the Pick-A-Brick walls, though.
    

  [*]Do you purchase from the Pick-A-brick wall?

  • I have in the past, but I don't think I've bought any since last year. This is mostly because I don't want to risk making my room more of a mess by buying loose bricks, not because I don't like the parts being offered.
    

  [*]Do you have any other feedback?

  • I would greatly appreciate if more ball joint pieces like 14417, 14418, 14419, 14704, 15460, and 22890 were added to the Pick-A-Brick wall. Buildable figures (animals, dolls, action figures, mecha, etc) make up a lot of the models I enjoy building at home, and it would be great to be able to buy more of these parts instead of just borrowing them from other MOCs and sets every time I want to build something new.
    

If you have visited a LEGOLAND park:

• Which LEGOLAND parks have you visited?
  
  • I have visited LEGOLAND California in 2002, LEGOLAND Florida in 2014, and LEGOLAND Billund in 2015.
    

  [*]Do you buy souvenirs (specific to that particular park) from the park or each park you visit?

  • Sometimes.
    

  [*]If so, what item/s do you buy as a "memory of the day?" - Is it a regular LEGO product such as keychain, LEGO set/s, tumbler (cup/mug) - should it have a specific LEGOLAND link and graphics to it?

  • I have bought LEGOLAND Billund ball caps, and my brother has bought LEGOLAND Billund and LEGOLAND Windsor minifigure magnets. I have also bought general LEGO sets, if they are a low enough price to buy on impulse or are marked down lower than I can find them elsewhere. I do not mind merchandise with LEGOLAND-specific graphics, although I also love souvenirs that specifically connect with one of my favorite LEGO brands like Ninjago, Elves, or Bionicle.
    

  [*]Any other comments?

  • I especially like LEGO or LEGOLAND branded merchandise that I can wear, like hats, wristbands, and shirts in adult sizes, since these are hard to find outside of LEGOLAND parks. I would be willing to buy this sort of merchandise whether or not it were specific to LEGOLAND parks. My Bionicle T-shirt from the announcement of the Bionicle reboot at New York Comic Con 2014 is one of my favorite T-shirts and one of my most prized souvenirs of a special LEGO experience.
    

Category 3: Home

Stationery:

• Have you heard about or seen our latest Stationery products?
  
  • Yes, I've heard about them online and seen them at Barnes & Noble bookstores.
    

  [*]Do you like the product range? If yes, what do you like about the product range?

  • Yes, absolutely. I have a bit of older LEGO stationery from over the years but the new range which is more integrated with the LEGO System is much nicer and also generally very classy! I love LEGO merchandise that I can take places with me to let people know I'm a LEGO fan.
    

  [*]What is your most favorite item? And why?

  • My favorite item is the buildable ruler. It involves the most building out of any of the accessories, is a useful tool to have around, and unlike the markers, pencils, pens, and erasers, I don't have to worry about it running out of ink or wearing out after a lot of use, as long as I take good care of it.
    The ruler is the only one I have bought so far, though I hope to buy more of the stationery items as I prepare to return to college in the spring. The Journal with Binding Band looks especially nice because if I run out of journal pages, I can remove the binding band and put it on a new journal to start fresh.
    

  [*]Are we missing anything important in the assortment range?

  • Measuring tape would be INCREDIBLY useful, especially if it included measurements in LEGO bricks and studs in addition to standard inch and centimeter measurements! That way it could be a useful tool for LEGO building in addition to school or office work.
    A mechanical pencil would also be useful since it could be refilled with standard graphite instead of getting smaller and smaller the more you use it. For the past several years I have mostly used mechanical pencils for writing and drawing.
    

  [*]Do you see many creative opportunities? How would you use the products? - In other contexts...? (i.e. as part of a LEGO brick 'integrated' build)

  • I definitely see lots of creative opportunities, like using the printed tiles from the ruler as a growth chart in a minifigure doctor's office or a height chart for suspects in a LEGO police station! Or using the pens or markers for LEGO Mindstorms robots that can actually write and draw! Or using the erasers as wheels on a vehicle!
    However, these are not the sorts of things I normally build, and I would be more likely to keep the stationery items at my desk for their intended use, rather than using them in my own LEGO creations.
    I kind of wish the pencil boxes and organizer had studs on the outside as well as the inside, so not only could you store the stationery items inside, but you could also personalize the outside with LEGO bricks! The Journal with Binding Band already looks very easy to customize, which makes me want to buy one.
    

Upscaled Minifigure:

• Have you purchased the Upscaled Clock & Torch Minifigures due to the function (clock/light etc.) or mostly for the Minifigure icon?
  
  • I have not bought any of the full-size clocks and torches because they're expensive and I'm afraid they'd take up too much space. However, I have bought a few of the smaller Minifigure Key Lights. I bought them mostly due to the minifigure icon and the specific characters they represent. My brother and I especially loved the LEGO Movie Unikitty Key Lights.
    

  [*]If yes, what needs does it fulfill for you or the purpose? - It is for the function (Time/Light) or for the shape (Collectability)?

  • My brother and I use our Unikitty and Angry Kitty key lights as light sources when trying to find things in a dark place (like a cabinet or under a bed) or to see our surroundings when the power goes out. We generally do not keep them on display, instead keeping them in our backpacks so we have them handy.
    However, we generally do not use the ones with colored lights (like the Queasy Kitty and Astro Kitty Key Lights) as a light source. Those we appreciate more for their novelty and collectibility.
    

Collectability:

• Is it important for you to have something unique to collect?
  
  • To an extent. I try not to become addicted to completing a collection, and some of the products I buy are as stand-alone items due to their usefulness and charm. However, there are things like the Unikitty Key Lights where my brother and I have tried to get a complete collection.
    We would be more likely to buy items like key lights from brands we love like Ninjago if, for example, all six ninja were available as key lights in the same style of costume. That way we could buy a couple at a time until we had a complete set.
    

  [*]If there are unique items in each country, how much effort do you go to obtain the items/product?

  • I don't tend to go to any extraordinary effort to get things that are only available overseas. However, if I am visiting another country for other reasons and see something that goes with a collection I have at home, but that I haven't seen available at stores back home, I will be more likely to get it. For example, my brother and I bought the Queasy Kitty and Astro Kitty Key Lights when we were in Billund for the LEGO Inside Tour.
    

  [*]How do you collect things? What is your favorite way of displaying the things you collect?

  • I tend to be somewhat specific about the things I collect (for instance, keeping my LEGO wish list mostly constrained to specific LEGO themes). This year, for example, my brother and I have collected the LEGO Bionicle, Ninjago, Nexo Knights, and Elves sets.
    I try to limit how much I buy in some ways. I do not limit myself to a specific budget, although I probably should. Instead, I make a list of every set I want, and then try to see how many I can cut out without feeling like I'm seriously missing out. I like having a sense of choice. For instance, it's frustrating to feel like I can't get every character from a theme without getting every set from that theme.
    My brother and I display LEGO sets on our shelves or our dresser, although both are often a bit of a mess. It's important to me to be able to access, take down, and play with the sets and figures I have on display, so I try not to display sets by hanging them from the ceiling or by putting them behind glass.
    

  [*]Are you missing any key display or storage items from LEGO?

  • It would be nice to get some display cases to show off our Ninjago minifigures, but Ninjago includes some figures like Pythor, Nadakhan, and Dogshank who are too big for many display cases including both official LEGO cases and unofficial cases. And also, there are nearly 200 Ninjago minifigures, so I'm not sure how many I'd have space to display even if I had cases big enough.
    Instead, my brother and I currently have most of our figures from our favorite themes in a shoebox, sorted into Ziploc bags by year and by theme. We may soon need to move them into a bigger box, but the Ziplocs are nice and better than having them all piled loose in one box. I want to get a better display option one day.
    I also might one day wish to buy some brick storage and sorting cases or shelves, but that may have to wait until I have a house or apartment of my own.
    

Category 4: Promotional and Other

Licensing & Extended Line Products (brick based):

If you buy/receive/collect Seasonal/Promotional items, please answer the following:

• Where do you purchase your LEGO sets?
  
  • I buy many of my LEGO sets at the LEGO store at Potomac Mills (Woodbridge, VA), or from shop.LEGO.com. I also sometimes buy sets at Target or Toys 'R' Us, which are closer to where I live.
    

  [*]Whom do you buy these products for?

  • Mostly for myself and my twin brother.
    

  [*]Do you base your purchases on the freebie/give-away/gift with purchase items?

  • Usually only if they're specific to a theme I collect, like Ninjago, Elves, or Bionicle. I'm generally more likely to base my purchases on special pricing or VIP points.
    

  [*]How do you use these products, as they are intended or part of a display or build etc. ?

  • I might build them for temporary display, or just leave them in the box and save them for another time. I like the seasonal sets but don't have a real place set aside for displaying them. When I'm done displaying them I might put them back in the box or take them apart to use as loose bricks, depending on how I feel about the model.
    

  [*]What role do the products play?

  • They are cute bonuses for a LEGO purchase, but I am not super into collecting them. That's mostly just because there are so many other LEGO themes I'm more focused on collecting.
    

Collectability:

• Do you collect a lot of 'non-themed' LEGO sets like the above or merchandise?
  
  • No, not really. I prefer to focus on themed products, specifically on non-licensed, story-driven themes like Ninjago, Bionicle, and Elves.
    

  [*]What puts you off collecting some items?

  • It's difficult to commit the time, money, and space for a lot of non-themed products when the themed products I love already demand so much of all three.
    

Monthly Minibuilds/Seasonals/Promotional IP Products/Black Friday/Other promotional/Gift with purchase products:

• What do you like about these products?
  
  • These products give me an incentive to shop at specific times and places, but mostly when they relate to IPs I collect.
    

  [*]What do you not like about these products?

  • The non-IP related products are often extremely cute and charming, but I have a hard time justifying going out of my way to obtain them when I already commit so much time, money, and space to "themed" LEGO. Also, models specific to LEGO store events (like the monthly minibuilds) are hard for me to obtain because I don't drive.
    

  [*]How can we improve these products?

  • There are certain promotional polybag sets like 5002942, 5004391, and 5004409 that either fail to get a wide release in the United States, or are not released in the United States at all — despite containing contents you can't get in other sets. I would like it if these sets got released more widely, or if the ways to get them were at least more publicized.
    

  [*]What would you like to see more of?

  • It would be cool if there were more exclusive figures for non-licensed themes, like Elves and Ninjago, rather than just for the licensed themes like Super Heroes and Star Wars. For instance, it would be cool if Ninjago DVDs came with promotional minifigures like many Star Wars and Super Heroes DVDs have in the past.
    

Category 5: LEGOLAND

Have you been to a LEGOLAND Park? If so, please answer the following:

LEGOLAND Parks:

• Is there a need for more LEGO Technic experiences in the parks (both rides and hands-on)?
  
  • Not particularly, in my opinion. I'm not a huge Technic fan but I feel like the Technic attractions at the parks I've been to have been satisfactory.
    

  [*]Are the Miniland models delivering "wow" moments and inspiration for you as an AFOL?

  • The miniland models that wow me the most and leave the most lasting impressions are the ones with humorous details, like the LEGO Space cosplayers lined up at a movie theater to see "BLACKTRON: LEGACY", a Miniland version of the "Sad Keanu" meme, Miniland versions of the Doctor and TARDIS from Doctor Who, etc.
    When I am at the parks I am usually not too concerned with looking for inspiration. I do look at pictures of Miniland models for inspiration sometimes when I'm at home, but at the parks I'm usually just trying to savor the experience, perhaps not thinking as much as I should about what I can learn from it or apply in my own creations after I leave.
    

  [*]What would be the ultimate AFOL park experience?

  • To be honest I haven't been too disappointed with the LEGOLAND parks from an AFOL perspective. They give me an opportunity to feel like a kid again, so the kid-focused attractions (like not-too-intense roller coasters, costumed characters, interactive features in the Minilands, live shows, silly brick sculptures, etc) generally appeal to me just fine. And this is coming from somebody who is not super interested in other theme parks.
    My main disappointment with the LEGOLAND parks as an AFOL is that there are often not enough LEGO T-shirts and hats in adult sizes at the shops — often a lot of the adult clothes at the shops are not LEGO or LEGOLAND branded at all, but instead just normal clothes. I would prefer to be able to buy more souvenirs that I could wear to show my LEGO pride when I'm out and about. Especially if they connected to my favorite LEGO themes!
    

Edited September 18, 2016 by Aanchir

[zux]

Guys, don't think Melody is going to look all over internet to gather your feedback.

How to share your feedback:

Kindly email straight to Melody: Melody.Caddick@lego.com. You can send either Word documents, PDFs, or simply copy the questions/answers into the mail.

[Aanchir]

Guys, don't think Melody is going to look all over internet to gather your feedback.

Don't worry, I did send the answers in via e–mail as soon as I finished. I just copied and pasted them here as well.