Color Coding

[Richard Dower]

watching Sariel's video of him talking with Technic designers it seems obvious they read the forums here, know exactly what people think and want from sets etc.

they even mentioned colour vomit and address why the Red and Yellow axles were introduced....as we speculated it was to give kids an easier time to find the parts when they dump hundreads of pieces onto the floor or into a box etc.

one must also assume that the new axles colurs give designers more choice, colour co-ordination etc. - but the complaints here seem rather silly, in that it is very easy for us guys to simply swap out coloured axles for whatever colour you think is right.

i have Black 3L and 5L axles and often use them to colour co-ordinated certain sections when i am building a set, in fact i have many parts in many rare colours to do just this, most Technic parts exist in multiple colours outside of Red, Black, Yellow and LBG....so i think the complaints about colour vomit are null and void...

IMO.

[syclone]

Judging by Lego products it seems like kids are becoming more stupid every year,the one piece steps, colour coding...

Back in 2006 when I was 4 I hadn't any problems (my parents didn't help me) building the 8281, even being my first set, so I don't see any reason to this colour coding.

Edited July 25, 2016 by LXF

[Imanol BB]

I have the same feeling as you LXF, many time ago when i was a kid, i always struggled to find the right piece, but for me, that was part of the challenge when building, it makes the builders to have a more enhanced vision when looking for the pieces, it is sad that everything is now upside down, now the kids get amount of details while building, pieces come in brilliant colors to make them find the pieces faster, is like kids are becoming lazier than ever before, what is next? Duplo sized bricks?, pre-assembled or out of the box models?, if this continues, it will be like a game with hacks, at the first time, you feel like god, doing everything you want and feeling amazing, but there will be a time when you will not feel so satisfied and challenged as it was before, i hope this stops before is too late.

Edited July 25, 2016 by ImanolBB

[HallBricks]

I think it's a bit odd that they think they need to color code everything for sets like the BWE, where the recommended ages are 11-16 and even 16+ if you look at the Porsche. If you are 10+ you won't have any problems building or finding the pieces, I built the 8043 when I was 10 years old for example. I didn't have any problems with finding the right axles or connectors.

Edited July 25, 2016 by HallBricks

[allanp]

Colour coded parts, pre-assembled gearing in the motors, 1 part per step leaving no room in the instructions for the B-model, and all in a theme that is supposed to be more advanced than regular Lego which has no such colour coding on the outside. How do kids even complete the model after building the colour coded inner structure I wonder? It doesn't bother me THAT much (some recent new parts make up for it ), in fact I am building my current WIP MOC using current colour codes just to make it look more like an official set. But it still just seems rather silly to me. Paying 300 euro for a set only to have to swap out many parts with ones from my own collection only makes the set less appealing to me and quite needlessly so when it is meant to be a more advance build. The yellow axles however have been used to great effect on the BWE. But then it's only good when the part of the model you are making is yellow. But I don't think pins and axles are necessarily the worst offenders. ALL colour coded gears look awful, and the new red 16 tooth clutch gear only comes in red so no, I can't just replace that one with another colour even if I wanted to. Another worse offender than pins and axles is the 5x7 and 5x11 frames. Maybe that's not colour coding as such, but they only come in LBG, which I have yet to need them in that colour. They are huge pieces so you can always find them in a pile of parts very quickly no matter what colour they are, and you can always find them quickly in a complete model. Just look at those 5x7 frames on 42030. They stick out like a sore thumb and you can't replace them with another colour either.

I think it's a bit odd that they think they need to color code everything for sets like the BWE, where the recommended ages are 11-16 and even 16+ if you look at the Porsche. If you are 10+ you won't have any problems building or finding the pieces, I built the 8043 when I was 10 years old for example. I didn't have any problems with finding the right axles or connectors.

I was 9 when I built 8880, had no problems with that either. But didn't 8043 have colour vomit?

Edited July 25, 2016 by allanp

[HallBricks]

Colour coded parts, pre-assembled gearing in the motors, 1 part per step leaving no room in the instructions for the B-model, and all in a theme that is supposed to be more advanced than regular Lego which has no such colour coding on the outside. How do kids even complete the model after building the colour coded inner structure I wonder? It doesn't bother me THAT much (some recent new parts make up for it ), in fact I am building my current WIP MOC using current colour codes just to make it look more like an official set. But it still just seems rather silly to me. Paying 300 euro for a set only to have to swap out many parts with ones from my own collection only makes the set less appealing to me and quite needlessly so when it is meant to be a more advance build. The yellow axles however have been used to great effect on the BWE. But then it's only good when the part of the model you are making is yellow. But I don't think pins and axles are necessarily the worst offenders. ALL colour coded gears look awful, and the new red 16 tooth clutch gear only comes in red so no, I can't just replace that one with another colour even if I wanted to. Another worse offender than pins and axles is the 5x7 and 5x11 frames. Maybe that's not colour coding as such, but they only come in LBG, which I have yet to need them in that colour. They are huge pieces so you can always find them in a pile of parts very quickly no matter what colour they are, and you can always find them quickly in a complete model. Just look at those 5x7 frames on 42030. They stick out like a sore thumb and you can't replace them with another colour either.

I was 9 when I built 8880, had no problems with that either. But didn't 8043 have colour vomit?

Well, yes it had some color vomit to, but it has increased since then so it didn't have as much color vomit as the sets have now. I still think you would manage to build technic sets without color coding when you are 10 years old, at least if you aren't completely new to LEGO.

And the technic sets meant for kids younger than 10 years old, include very few parts and wouldn't need color coding either.

Edited July 25, 2016 by HallBricks

[bonox]

one of their arguments seems to be related to getting calls for missing parts, when in fact the correct part got put in the wrong place earlier in the build and the 'left over' part doesn't fit at the later stage.

That's not necessarily a reflection of TLG believing that kids are lazier/dumber etc. It's a reflection of what their support teams appear to have experience in having to resolve. If anything, it's probably worse for the BWE than the small sets. If your tiny technic set only has 3 axles in it, your chance of getting the wrong length part in place is not only low, but it's conceptually simple to find and fix. When you've got a hundred progressively buried axles, it's more of a challenge.

[JGW3000]

my 8 year old kid build 8480 space shuttle no problems, and nearly all of the parts are either black, white, or old grey - no color coding. Adding 10-100 parts per page, no problem. B-model instructions in the very thin single instruction book . I think too much coddling to kids is going on here. But then again, no one is forcing us to buy or build any of these...

[HallBricks]

As bonox said, there are reasons for LEGO to have the color vomit. To be honest, that doesn't bother me much. It makes all mechanisms inside more visible than it would be if all parts were black for example. I don't really think it affects the look of the models negatively... well the BWE maybe looks a bit messy but otherwise I think its okay for as long as TLG doesn't stop making the traditional black and grey axles. The colored ones are great for certain details like on the Volvo and the BWE.

But as I said earlier, I don't think it's completely necessary. Most kids that are within the recommended ages would manage to build the models perfectly even without color coding.

[offroadcreations]

But as I said earlier, I don't think it's completely necessary. Most kids that are within the recommended ages would manage to build the models perfectly even without color coding.

I agree. Also, I actually enjoy building older models more, because they are more challenging. I really think that the color coding is over-simplifying the building process.

[lee82gx]

Making things accessible will only increase sales, and Lego will be pretty sure existing fans will still buy sets anyways.

One thing with recent developments is that online or soft copy of building manuals has so poor quality that maybe colour coding can help. You can't ever be sure it's a 4l axle on a PDF with no fixed scale either.

[nerdsforprez]

watching Sariel's video of him talking with Technic designers it seems obvious they read the forums here, know exactly what people think and want from sets etc.

they even mentioned colour vomit and address why the Red and Yellow axles were introduced....as we speculated it was to give kids an easier time to find the parts when they dump hundreads of pieces onto the floor or into a box etc.

one must also assume that the new axles colurs give designers more choice, colour co-ordination etc. - but the complaints here seem rather silly, in that it is very easy for us guys to simply swap out coloured axles for whatever colour you think is right.

i have Black 3L and 5L axles and often use them to colour co-ordinated certain sections when i am building a set, in fact i have many parts in many rare colours to do just this, most Technic parts exist in multiple colours outside of Red, Black, Yellow and LBG....so i think the complaints about colour vomit are null and void...

IMO.

While I see your POV, and although you qualify your stance on the issue with "IMO" - stating that it is a "non-issue" is a little strong I think. Not a big deal for you...... probably... but a "non-issue?" If color coding, and thus the vomit is primarily a marketing/PR thing (i.e. trying to diversify the fan base) to allow more people into the hobby, that is completely understandable. However, although AFOLs (who complain of color vomit) do not comprise the majority of consumers they most likely comprise a lot of loyalists. Adults who raise their kids on Lego. Adults who create wonderful MOCs and share them with the world on social media. Adults who share Lego on media outlets, talk Lego with their business associates, friends, create MOCs for companies, etc. Adults who know the product and the company as well as those that work in it. These folks may not be the majority..... but they are imperative for Lego's success. Make no mistake about it..... the internet has really been the driving force of Lego's success in recent years (decade.... almost two). Even the success of the SW genre would be nothing with out the internet. And it has been the loyalists of Lego..... that grew up with it in the 70s, 80's 90's etc. that are a main publishers of Lego media content. It is free marketing man.......So whether it is the issue of color vomit, product quality, etc... the main idea is that the opinion of veteran consumers of the product DOES matter... ALOT. Whether it be product quality, simplifying of instructions, color vomit, etc.... whatever... Lego really does have to listen. And they do...... you stated it yourself in your original post. I think TLG for the most part gets it. Think of what would happen if all those that had a complaint of color vomit (or other AFOL issues) got ignored for so long they they outgrew Lego......went to some other hobby. Like perhaps Sariel, or other popular builders? So so much free marketing and publicity would go down the drain.......

[dr_spock]

I think the new color coding can be helpful for the older builders. When you reach a certain age, your eyes can have a tough time distinguishing black, DBG, LBG, etc.

[Bricktrain]

It is probably more of a problem for set builders, it is only an issue for MOC builders when the supply of certain coloured parts becomes low.

[MRP_]

well personally, I remember building the 7888 tumbler when I was like 8 or 9, and every single piece was black, and there were tons of pieces per step, and non of them were labeld, but I still figured it out... the color coding is kinda ridiculous imo. also what young kid is going too be building any of these huge sets, with little enough experience to warrant needing to color code pieces? sorry little timmy, leave the 42055 to the experienced builders...

[NioN]

For me it's a non-issue, especially from a design point of view. I don't mind if they are used internal but I prefer it if they aren't used/visible for the bodywork. For example I still don't understand why they've used blue pins for some parts of the Porche design which are clearly visible. It's an expert (display) set so why haven't the used a black pin? Yes that might make the build proces a bit harder but it isn't an expert set for a reason.

Also, I never sort the pins, axles, beams etc when building a new set. Part of the fun for me is digging into al the pieces for each step. This doesn't bother me at all and extends my building and fun time.

[nerdsforprez]

For me it's a non-issue, especially from a design point of view. I don't mind if they are used internal but I prefer it if they aren't used/visible for the bodywork. For example I still don't understand why they've used blue pins for some parts of the Porche design which are clearly visible. It's an expert (display) set so why haven't the used a black pin? Yes that might make the build proces a bit harder but it isn't an expert set for a reason.

Also, I never sort the pins, axles, beams etc when building a new set. Part of the fun for me is digging into al the pieces for each step. This doesn't bother me at all and extends my building and fun time.

Well put. I think the operative phrase is "for me" - it is not universally a non-issue; no single person has a right to that claim. But individually, sure, each person is entitled to their POV.

To an extent I agree with your perspective. If no one really sees the internals.... then who cares? Ever built the inside of any of the SW UCS sets? Try the R2D2 model...... color vomit heaven! But no one will see the inside of the R2 model.... so it does not really matter. However, with the Porsche, people certainly DO see the inside. Or at least for many builders, because the innards.... gears, etc. are an integral part of the model. That is the whole reasoning behind the popular modification (Hispabricks) to make it more modular and be able to easily remove the chassis from the bodywork.......That is why I still argue that color vomit really does matter for this model.... I think that many will be displaying it as a modular build.... i..e. one that they will occasionally (or frequently) want to be removing the bodywork from the chassis

[TheMindGarage]

I think TECHNIC should remove this colour vomit. The sets that are targeted at children young enough to need colour-coding have so few pieces that colour-coding isn't needed anyway. You don't see builders using red, yellow and blue nuts/bolts/screws/nails, do you?

[M_longer]

I think TECHNIC should remove this colour vomit. The sets that are targeted at children young enough to need colour-coding have so few pieces that colour-coding isn't needed anyway. You don't see builders using red, yellow and blue nuts/bolts/screws/nails, do you?

Well, it is better in recent sets. For example 42054 has axles in both colour versions, and those red/yellow are hidden inside the model, or covered by other pieces (like those: )

[Rijkvv]

Especially for axles I don't see the need for colour coding. Just put in every step how long the axle has to be, then the builder can count if he/she has picked up the right one (if not recognized immediately). That's how it used to be, and I don't see a reason to change that.

[Didumos69]

I would love to see a community-driven color-coding that makes it more easy to 'read' the functional part of a design or a model. A single preferred color for functional modules, such as gearbox or engine, a single preferred color for rigid base structure elements, such as chassis etc.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Didumos69

[HallBricks]

I haven't got any Technic sets since they introduced the colored axles. Do they still have the 1:1 box in the instructions to measure the axles? In that case I think that box is enough like it always has been.

Edited July 26, 2016 by HallBricks

[Lipko]

I, for one, prefer the simpler construction and like the color vomit. I guess I'm the only one in the world who does.

If I want challenge, I design my own models. For making a stock model, I just want to have causal fun, maybe watch a movie while building and have some beer too. And having 20 same colored parts really doesn't help with that especially that we now have axles in odd lengths so axles would be impossible to tell apart by eye. And I don't want to measure every single axles, that's sure.

The color vomit makes the chassis more exciting to me. I could name a few MOCs that have "proper" gray colors all around the chassis. They are so utterly boring to look at that I honestly don't care what functions it has at all. Color vomit adds another dimension in designing both from the look/feel and challenge point of view (boy, it's hard to come up with nicely color-vomited models...)

Edited July 26, 2016 by Lipko

[andythenorth]

I have zero problems with colour vomit.

[Blakbird]

All a matter of perspective. To me there is no doubt that color coding makes the model easier to build, but there is also no doubt that it makes the model uglier. How much uglier varies by model. On balance, I would rather have a model look good than be easy to build. I like a challenge anyway. Although it is true that color coded models can be converted using older parts, those older parts are getting harder and harder to find so this option may cease to exist in a few years.