2016: A Disappointing Year?

[Sir Brickalot]

Not sure if this is the right place for this topic, but I feel as if 2016 has been a disappointing year in Lego. For me, the standout theme has been Super Heroes, but the Star Wars theme has been lacklustre and expensive, the D2Cs have been terrible and the PPP of sets in general have been getting worse and worse.

I don't know, maybe it's just my silly opinion, what do you all think?

[Kaboozle]

I think that the main disappointments were the First Order Battle Pack and Assault on Hoth sets. THe other stuff has all been OK, although some more Force Awakens sets would've been nice.

[Orange Leader]

I don't know If 2016 is a dissapointing LEGO year at all. I do think Star Wars is not very interesting or appealing to me this year and I think I'm kind of biased here, except for the price of each set in The Netherlands and Europe. There's a lot more then just Star Wars after all; for instance Disney fans get there own Collectible Minifigure Serie and even (German) soccer fans.

There's a lot of diverse LEGO themes and some interesting new ones like Nexo Knights and on a personal note, I think Elves and Ninjago are stepping up to a new level of quality as well this summer. I can relate that for Castle and Fantasy fans It's a dissapointing year, but over all, I think there's not really that much to complain about 2016 being a dissapointing year.

[Andrzej777]

I have to agree with you. 2016 hasnt brought out any sets that would appeal to me. I only like histotic themes and these have been totally neglected by Lego. Not counting nexo knights!

The good thing of 2016 was the cmf series 15 - it came with a knight, a winged warrior, a tribal woman, a queen, a skunk and a pig - not bad!!! :)

Looking forward to series 16!!!

[Lordofdragonss]

Not for me! I want allmost all Nexoknights and almost all Elves sets! And this never happened to me! And we got best CMF series this year!

[CM4Sci]

I don't know, I think 2016 has been a pretty impressive year.

Don't forget we have the Death Star and Disneyworld Castle to see, and they're both sure to look amazing (especially the castle from what I hear)

We also have the next Dimensions wave which I'm sure lots of people will love.

Nexo Knights is pretty cool to me, I got about 7 sets on release! It's a fun theme with some pretty cool pieces.

We also got a Disney Minifigures series! Not to mention Series 16 looks outstanding from what we've seen.

The Super Heroes sets for the summer are up there in terms of best sets in the SH line so far.

There's a lot more that this year has made and I think it's amazing. I'm sure you'll change your mind. Maybe.

[AFOLguy1970]

If you are exclusively a Star Wars fan, I can see some of the disappointment. Of course, the upcoming Death Star might make up for it. There are still some bright spots like the Droid Escape with the droids and two cheap jawas.

Creator has been good with the Brick Bank, the Lakeside Lodge, and the upcoming Big Ben looks good.

Disney minifigures have been very well received as most of us predicted.

I think there is something out there for everyone. With more sets to be released, you never know when that "must have" set is going to appear.

[dr_spock]

It is a bit premature. 2016 is not over yet. The good Technic stuff are still to come later in the year.

[HawkLord]

At exactly halfway through the year, it's hard to gauge how successful or disappointing the year has been.

I can say that to date, I've spent a lot less on Lego than usual.

[wgemini]

I'd say 2016 has had some of the best creator sets.

[Tariq j]

I think it just depends on what type of fan you are. Obviously if you've never collected any Hoth sets before the new Assault set is perfect as it combines all of the different Hoth elements into one, if you're an older fan like most of us here, then yes, maybe not so much.

[Peppermint_M]

2016 has already delivered some of the best city and Action themes yet. Elves has only gotten better, Ninjago is still going strong and Nexo Knights has been fun. CMFs are brilliant and better to come.

City has got a great mini-theme in Explorers and the interestingly diverse city people set looks great.

Meanwhile, Creator, Friends and Mixels have been great for parts and designs too.

2016 has been better than average and its going to carry on.

[Khscarymovie4]

This is the best year for Lego Marvel sets I think. I don't really like the DC sets though. I love the new Rogue One sets but the rest of Star Wars sets have been meh.

[AnnaBuildsLego]

I think the only theme which has shown a considerable decline in quality/interest this year is Star Wars, which perhaps feels worse than it actually is, just because Star Wars fans have come to expect so much from the theme over the years. Star Wars has always been a strong theme - however, there are multiple factors which seem to have hit it all at once this year, making it drop in quality a bit. Its pricing tends to be quite extravagant on a number of sets (I'm not educated on the reasons why; I can forward a guess and say that Disney wants to milk the Force Awakens resurgence of Star Wars brand hype, but whatever the reason, it's noticeable in sets like Battle of Takodana and Encounter on Jakku), many of the builds are based on obscure elements of the universe that aren't as iconic or recognisable as past sets, and minifigures have been extremely lackluster in my opinion. There have also been some very repetitive/similar builds (e.g. the two X-Wings are the same with just different colour schemes) and an overall lack of colour - there's only a certain length of time before the abundance of obscure generic grey spaceships gets boring. Let's not talk about the Assault on Hoth debacle.

All of this said about Star Wars in 2016: I think the problems with the theme this year are indeed significant, but they are elevated by how good the theme has consistently been in the past. Back in 2009/2010 before my Dark Ages, Star Wars was my favourite theme, and the ships that I have from that time look so much better to me than anything currently on the shelves.

Outside of Star Wars, I think 2016 has actually been a pretty great year. Sure, the D2C's have been met with a pretty lukewarm response for the most part - the Batcave wasn't great, Minecraft doesn't appeal to everyone with it's simplicity, and Brick Bank (while awesome like all the modulars) was a bit small - but the regular sets are largely killing it in their respective themes this year. We got a Disney CMF series that rocked, a German football theme with tons of flesh tones, as well as Series 15 (SHARK GUY, I mean, come on); Super Heroes has been on fire, no pun intended; City has the wonderful Fun in the Park set; Friends continues to offer up great things for City fans; it's all pretty great!

Big Ben is also nearing release, with one of the best price-per-parts ratios I've ever seen for the 5th biggest Lego set of all time, if I'm correct!

So overall, I would disagree that 2016 is disappointing - only Star Wars has been truly disappointing, in my opinion, and a few D2C's. The year has been great for regular sets.

[Lyichir]

Yeah, I really can't complain about this year either. The main three themes I collected last year were Ninjago, Elves, and Bionicle, and all three are going fairly strong. Ninjago, like last year, has had two awesome story arcs and plenty of amazing sets. Elves was amazing last year but has presented an even stronger showing this year, with more sets, bigger sets, and a moodier, better story. And while there are technically fewer Bionicle sets this year than last year, the sets we have gotten have been much more interesting and experimental and include the biggest single-character set since the story was rebooted. Nexo Knights has also been an amazing product launch. I really wanted to not end up liking it since I'd already be collecting three other themes, but the amazing sets and story won me over.

And there's so much more beyond that. I know there's been a lot of griping about this year's D2C sets but there have still been some standouts, like the Brick Bank and the recently announced Big Ben. And in Technic, the Porsche may not be for everyone (I love it!), but even so there's still plenty of other great-looking sets including the Bucket Wheel Excavator, the biggest Technic set ever. Mixels has proven that it's far from running out of ideas with several amazing new factions. And the list goes on and on. 2016 may seem like a poor year if you're focused on one or two themes but in general, I'd say it's been a fairly strong year.

Edited June 3, 2016 by Lyichir

[Shawn]

I could go on as well. But the Ghostbuster Firehouse and the Porsche were enough to make it a great year for me. Add in Disney and Big Ben and the new Super Hero sets and I say it has been great. I will agree that the Star Wars sets have been a little lame. :)

[xboxtravis7992]

Yeah overall its been a great year in my opinion; here are my thoughts on some themes I have taken note of:

D2C Sets: Brick Bank looks awesome, and I can't wait to get it. I think the Ghostbusters set was well designed but has been WAY overhyped by the Gen-Xer's in the AFOL community. So much Ghostbuster's hype from the AFOL's has forever killed any interest I had in the franchise (then again being born in the 1990's means I missed the original films to, so generational differences explains why I have no love for the Ghostbusters)... Minecraft village looks like it would be fun to play with. Anyways , Assault on Hoth was a let down but the rumored Disney Castle, Winter Train, and Death Star might offer something far better.

Star Wars: Yeah not a lot of standout sets from the first wave of 2016; but mind you the spectacular 2015 TFA sets are still on shelves so it isn't a deal breaker for me since I'd rather have money to get those than many current Star Wars sets. Oh and again gotta mention the Hoth failure... However thanks to the leaked Rogue One Set images, looks like we will have a better second half of the year for Star Wars than we had a first.

Marvel Superheroes: Outta the ball park! This has been a great year. I want all the Civil War sets, and a few of the Spider-Man and Avenger's Assemble sets have caught my eye to. Very well done this year.

Bionicle: To many ups and downs, its been a rollercoaster of bad and good this year. Some spectacular sets like Umarak the Hunter were produced, and some bad design choices were made to (*giant piston-ed torso shell*) . The worse part of this is the rumors that the theme will be ending for good in 2017; and unfortunately the Bionicle fan community is the most ill-behaved of the FOL communities when rumors of their line's demise strike. Honestly half the fun of the theme has been ruined by the flame wars and suppositions that are erupting in the fan community. Mind you that is not Lego's fault, that is ours! Anyway, if the line ends soon I'll still have fun with a few more sets, Umarak the Destroyer, and Ekimu 2.0 have both caught my eye; and I got to enjoy a blast from my childhood return for even a brief moment.

Technic: I don't normally buy Technic but this year has produced two standout sets, the Porshe, and the Mine Bucket Loader drill thingy... I want them. It is rare for me to actively want Technic sets but this year I want two of the ones that are coming out. Very well done in my opinion then!

Trains: Still waiting for pics of the rumored Winter Train...

Speed Champions: I feel like a dolt since I haven't got any from this year yet, but the focus on American Muscle cars has struck my fancy! I want them, I just need to get money to do it.

So to sum up my opinions a lot of themes have done very very well this year. The only two themes I see were week links this year was sadly though Star Wars and Bionicle. At least in the case of Star Wars I still have the opportunity to buy last year's sets; and Bionicle also had a strong 2015 performance that I own many sets from.

[Stash2Sixx]

I just got my cake mold last night for 50% off! This is a great year!

Disney minifigures...new parts and colors in Elves...German National Team...a Ghostbusters Firehouse and a new modular building...

Yeah, good year.

[Aanchir]

I've been loving 2016. The Ninjago, Nexo Knights, and Elves designs this year have been outstanding, and while this year's Bionicle sets don't wow me quite as much as last year's, they're still better by leaps and bounds than the old-school Bionicle sets in a lot of ways.

Other themes I'm not so committed to collecting that have really wowed me this year include Technic, Creator, City, Mixels, Ghostbusters, Minecraft, Marvel Super Heroes, and even Angry Birds. I'm not even a real fan of Angry Birds, but who'd have thought their rickety, ramshackle feeling and wacky cartoon action could translate so well to LEGO?

Really the only theme this year that I think has been pretty "meh" is Disney Princess, and I've felt the same way about it for a while now. So I feel like LEGO is still doing a pretty good job bringing forth imaginative and well-developed sets, even if some of them (especially City and Star Wars sets) can be pretty pricy.

[Columbus019]

I agree with this. The only sets coming out in 2016 that I am going to get for sure are that town one with the baby and 1, 00000 minifigures and about 3 bricks and also the megabloks Star Trek the original series line.

Columbus

[Andy D]

For me 2016 is looking good! The first half Technic sets were great (for 1st half sets) and the 2nd half sets (minus the Porsche) look great. The modular bank looks great (haven't got it yet). Yeah, some of the better sets are rather pricey (to be expected). Some of he creator sets look great, both the 3 in 1 and Expert.

Not a Star Wars collector, not a Super Heros collector, so I can't comment.

But for me, Technic, Modular Buildimgs and Winter Village (looking for a new set in WV) are looking good.

Just MHO, YMMV,

Andy D

[Robert8]

The CMF's this year are outstanding, especially for the new pieces introduced

New goat molded legs, new dress piece, 2 new babies, new flips molded arms, new acoustic guitar, new animals

We have been waiting for years for some of those....

The only disappointing wave was the Disney one but 1 out of 3 is not that bad....

[MrHerofan]

I really only pay attention to Bionicle. Now I also know what comes from other themes just not as often.

Bionicle's line up this year is really good. It has an identity of its own and I absolutely love the unification gimmick. The sets have really fun build that I haven't experienced in a constraction set in literally years. The sets are just really impressive and while the line is ending next year, I can't wait to see what 2017 will bring for the island of Okoto. If there is one flaw though it would be the fan base. Ever since late March they have adapted a doom and gloom attitude. Recently it has been subsiding so thats really good.

Star Wars has always been riddled with overpriced sets and the like, but this year there is nothing really catching my eye. Sure there are some alright sets but for the most part there was nothing eye catching for me this year. Now I've yet to see the Rouge One sets and while there could be cool sets I can't help but feel they will be overpriced af. Oh well thats Lego and Disney for you.

City does have some cool sets but I won't end up getting them.

Tectonic and its functions have been really catching my eye recently. I'll try to get some of them.

In general though I can't help but feel the majority of system sets are overpriced. I mean I can dish some money on a large set if it really interests me, but in general when I see a set I go "That looks cool I want it!" Then I see the price and change my mind. Now money is not the same as it used to be but still that feeling is there.

[BrickJagger]

Let's go over this theme by theme:

Angry Birds: A disappointing wave, but that might be because the movie itself limits the set design.

Architecture: Fairly standard year, but Big Ben is incredible.

Bionicle: Winter wave is very similar to last year's winter wave, and the summer villains and less in number then last year and suffer from several design flaws.

City: More Fire. More Police. The Airport theme is nice, it's nice to finally get a new airport. The Volcano subtheme is garbage. Lazy set design, and half of the sets would fit right in with the Arctic sets if they were orange. All those vehicles, where are the Volcanos? The Park set might the best City set released in the last five years, though.

Creator: Not really seeing anything new here. I like the cabin, the Bank is fairly average and undersized for the price increase. For twenty dollars more than the Palace Cinema, you would expect it to be at least comparable in size.

Elves: Huge improvement from last year. I love the Dragons, and Regina's Shadow Castle has excellent detailing and is the best Elves set so far.

Friends: More of the same. Not really digging the Amusement Park sub theme, although the rollercoaster was a valiant effort.

Ghostbusters: I like the Firehouse, it's very accurate to the films. The Ecto-1 is pretty similar to the one from 2014, but they can't help that.

Ideas: I wish the Maze had the different options as presented in the original idea, such as the Castle setting. Looks pretty basic and overpriced for what it is.

Juniors: Not a lot to say here, although I'm sure Ninjago fans are happy with the new snakes.

Dimensions: I look forward to seeing what the Fantastic Beasts fun pack looks like. Also stocked for the return of Harry Potter.

Minecraft: I understand the appeal, but the sets are basic and boring. Some of the sets are simply a pile of bricks. Just my opinion.

Minifigures: I love series 15 and 16, and the Disney series was going to happen at some point. I like several Disney franchises myself, but I hope there isn't a second series and they move into regular sets so we can hopefully retain two regular series a year (Ninjago series comes next year).

Mixers: Strong showing. I like the Castle ones the most. They can keep this line going for at least two or three more years.

Part two tomorrow, time to go to bed.

[SirBlake]

For me personally, 2016 is the biggest disappointment since I emerged from my dark ages 5 years ago.

No real castle and Nexo Knights is like a bad joke (just my opinion, you're entitled to yours if you disagree).

The only saving graces have been a great new Speed Champions wave and some solid CMF series.