Best Play Features?

[jedisquidward]

This obviously doesn't apply to just Action and Adventure themes, but nonetheless I think it best fits here.

I'm creating a MOC which intends to use a lot of play features, a lot of traps, and a lot of special little tricks. What are some of the best and most interesting play functions in sets over the years? For me, some would have to be the clock tower from the 2nd Hogwarts, since it has multiple things going on, and the light brick stone from 7572 Quest Against Time from Prince of Persia, since it actually requires inserting the dagger to activate it.

Any more examples?

[Oky]

The Adventurers sets were full of great booby traps, trap doors, and swiveling walls, but one of the best has to be the play feature of Oasis Ambush where a simple mechanism opens the tomb with the pull of a lever in front of it which is chained to the back of the statue.

Also, there is a clever feature in the Temple of Anubis which makes a diamond disappear by having a magnet under it and having it sit on a pedestal in front of a swiveling wall that also has a magnet on the backside, so when you turn the wall one full turn, the treasure gets snatched up by the magnet and disappears behind the wall. 
 

And I was quite fond of the explosion feature in Sheriff’s Lock-Up where when you inserted a dynamite tile in a wall, it would release a spring and send the wall flying. It was quite effective, but might be tricky to pull off with the modern dynamite mold.

[Lyichir]

Oh, there are so many that come to mind... Lemme make a list of some of the more unique ones (at least ones that make sense for a structural build rather than a vehicle) that come to mind.
 

• The opening portals from Portal of Atlantis and Skyra's Mysterious Sky Castle
• Opening doors activated by a sliding function like in Ragana's Magic Shadow Castle, Elsa's Magical Ice Palace, and Skull Sorcerer's Dungeons
• Too many interesting "transforming" features from the Hidden Side theme to list
• The horizontal splitting feature of the Fire Temple
• The shadow puppet theater in the Temple of Airjitzu

[Good and Swordy]

Not sure how well it would work on your MOC, but Lavatraz (Power Miners 2010, set 8191) has a fantastic little vending machine build in it. You insert a 1x2 tile and a soda can pops out, it was the best thing ever to child me.

The Star Wars Separatist Shuttle (set 8036) has a really neat pair of doors in the back that roll open like an elevator door. I always kind of liked that feature, and I bet a similar door function would be fun for an evil lair MOC.

Edited July 4, 2021 by Good and Swordy
better wording

[sander1992]

The Adventureres theme was really great when it comes to new ideas for traps.
The Amazon Ancient Ruins, Mummy's Tomb, Dino Research Compound, The Temple of Anubis, Temple of Mount Everest, Scorpion Palace and Dragon Fortress have all unique traps and other play features, you might want to check out.

Western also did a great job when it comes to play features.

[Kim-Kwang-Seok]

This deserves more attention!

There's some really great videos and channels about Lego traps. I really think Lego should less focus on technology (there they lost anyway) but instead in smoother sets, incooperation of table games (with cards and stuff; all pretty cheap) AND functions like the ones mentioned.

When I grew up I managed to purchase some of the Jonny Thunder sets and the play value was just amazing there. However cool the purely brick built bridges are: the one molded piece in the mountain-temple set was sooo cool. You could just put a figure and releasing one pin made the bridge turn and depending on if the figure was clipped it would fall or hold on.

I feel like the molded base plates also gave a lot of opportunities for functions. I dont try to criticize todays Lego designs; they have their reasons. I just think some stuff was really gread for kids and I miss it today.

- In the Johnny Thunder line there was also this great india-temple set with a sliding/trap door function differentiating it from our typical trap doors.

- Ninjago's 4th season also had a great 10 dollar set with an interesting collapsing bridge function. See - doesn't need many parts!

- Not a fan of the "exploding functions" usually BUT the Hobbit P3 had a tan building set that had some great collapsing functions though. I was using this in work with my clients and the kids loved putting figures on and then when we flew a dragon over it they hit the lever and BAM all the figures went flying everywhere

[TeriXeri]

13 hours ago, Kim-Kwang-Seok said:

When I grew up I managed to purchase some of the Jonny Thunder sets and the play value was just amazing there. However cool the purely brick built bridges are: the one molded piece in the mountain-temple set was sooo cool. You could just put a figure and releasing one pin made the bridge turn and depending on if the figure was clipped it would fall or hold on.

Enchanted Island from 1994 had a similar function with the bridge, set also has a crocodile so you could put some danger beneath the bridge.

[Faefrost]

On 7/3/2021 at 11:44 PM, jedisquidward said:

This obviously doesn't apply to just Action and Adventure themes, but nonetheless I think it best fits here.

I'm creating a MOC which intends to use a lot of play features, a lot of traps, and a lot of special little tricks. What are some of the best and most interesting play functions in sets over the years? For me, some would have to be the clock tower from the 2nd Hogwarts, since it has multiple things going on, and the light brick stone from 7572 Quest Against Time from Prince of Persia, since it actually requires inserting the dagger to activate it.

Any more examples?

Don't make the sets play functions dependent on a cheap cheesy cell phone game to interact with the set?