Minifigs = Too much ATTENTION?

[badbob001]

On 7/21/2017 at 8:22 PM, Ron Dayes said:

Indeed - yet since only minfigs come printed and a few bricks here and there, we are down to stickering everything...

One possible consideration is that it's probably cheaper and faster to print on a minifigure than on a brick. The minifigure parts haven't changed for decades and so on the printing machine, you just need to swap out the printing part for each different print run. But for bricks, you have to also swap out the parts that handles the brick since that brick can be any shape.

[anothergol]

Talking minifigs, I wonder why Lego hasn't updated them yet.

Ok, I would be Lego I would absolutely think twice before touching the minifig, but.. the minifig kinda goes against the rule of swapping parts.

The legs & head are ok, the problem is the torso. We've all removed arms from torso's as kids, and it didn't always go well, because they're not designed to be removed. Why can't Lego just rework arms for pin-connetions? I don't see the problem, and it would make arms easily swappable, and torso's more hackable, while visually nothing would change.

Sure the minifig is an icon that shouldn't be touched, but it already is, kinda.

 

Oh and talking about the basic parts that Lego still has to do: wedge tiles! I think Lego really has to do them, because clone brands have them, and it's painful to see a Cobi [talking minifigs, god theirs are horrible] tank looking much better than what could be done with Lego (& also be made of less "compound" parts than Lego's). And don't get me started on how better Mega Construx's cover tiles are.

Edited July 26, 2017 by anothergol

[danth]

On 7/21/2017 at 10:31 AM, x105Black said:

 As for prints, someone here once put it brilliantly.  To paraphrase: If the design is something I like, I want it printed.  If the design is something I don't like, I want it stickered.

Ooh ooh ooh! That was me! 

[x105Black]

1 hour ago, danth said:

Ooh ooh ooh! That was me! 

I thank you for putting that so concisely.

[anothergol]

My view on stickers:

Lego should just add a waterslide version of the stickers in the box. Doesn't cost much to produce, looks better, and gives a second chance if you screwed up a sticker.

But I think printing everything would be fine, only if unprinted versions were buyable at Bricks&Pieces. Because (for MOCers) that's 1 big reason to hate prints: when the only version of a part in a specific color is a printed one.

[x105Black]

14 hours ago, anothergol said:

I think printing everything would be fine, only if unprinted versions were buyable at Bricks&Pieces. Because (for MOCers) that's 1 big reason to hate prints: when the only version of a part in a specific color is a printed one.

Yes, absolutely this.

[jhuyser]

17 hours ago, anothergol said:

But I think printing everything would be fine, only if unprinted versions were buyable at Bricks&Pieces. Because (for MOCers) that's 1 big reason to hate prints: when the only version of a part in a specific color is a printed one.

You could always do print removal. 

[x105Black]

1 hour ago, jhuyser said:

You could always do print removal. 

Yeah, but there should be a way to get official versions of them without having to do anything unnatural to them.  A 'purist' way to get them without prints.

[anothergol]

7 hours ago, jhuyser said:

You could always do print removal. 

It takes a pro to perfectly remove prints, though.

My few attempts, using eucalyptus essential oil, have failed badly. Plastic got burnt, and while the prints were removed, there was still a "relief" left of them.

[BrickG]

As a minifigure guy I don't mind the attention. I mean my life has made it clear I won't have time for Lego for a long time so I'm even considering selling my collection, but of course NOT the minifigures. I still want to collect those!

As for the new general parts... I'm kind of against that too. I think Lego atm has too many parts. I honestly have started to feel like it's too complex and some of the parts are just not needed and simplification is in order. I mean have you ever tried to use one of those Lego programs? Finding each part, knowing their names and where they are located in the catalog of parts... it's so unintuitive. Heh. But I don't really care I guess. It's not a big issue or even a small one. I just think... less is more sometimes. Minecraft represents something way too simple. I feel like Lego is on the opposite side of the spectrum and that they can have like half or less as many parts and still be able to produce crazy amazing things just as easily, perhaps reserving new parts for times it's truly needed.

[anothergol]

5 hours ago, BrickG said:

Finding each part, knowing their names and where they are located in the catalog of parts... it's so unintuitive. Heh.

The LDD isn't really known for sorting parts very well, + it's listing a big part of the history of Lego, there are much much less parts still produced.

The only Lego parts that aren't needed are all those compounds, that Lego probably produces only to reduce costs or make it less boring for kids to assemble.