Plastic sails

[Tariq j]

Hi all apologies if this question has been answered before but why are the felt sails/sheets suddenly being changed to plastic? The felt ones were much better in my opinion.

Are they cheaper? Do they get bent less easily?

Thanks

Tariq j

[Grimmbeard]

Do you mean in the Pirates/POTC line? I'm pretty sure that the last ships they've made all had cloth sails.

[Brickdoctor]

Do you mean in the Pirates/POTC line? I'm pretty sure that the last ships they've made all had cloth sails.

The 2013 Sail Barge (Star Wars) has plastic sails whereas the 2006 edition had cloth. I'm not sure if this is the case over all themes or not.

[Tariq j]

The 2013 Sail Barge (Star Wars) has plastic sails whereas the 2006 edition had cloth. I'm not sure if this is the case over all themes or not.

unfortunately it is the case for all the themes I've seen one of the lone ranger sets which is a tee-pee which has a plastic cloth I really hope though if TLG do continue the POTC line they don't use plastic sails on ships.

[Phoxtane]

My guess is that the plastic is less prone to stains, tearing, and falling apart at the edges than the fabric ones. I've got a plastic sail off of one of the Artic-themed sets that's easily ten years old, and it's doing just fine.

[TheLegoDr]

From a business standpoint, ^ Phoxtane ^ hit it on the head. Durability, plain and simple. From an AFOL standpoint, cloth is better. With that said, I just took out my old Black Seas Barracuda sails that have been sitting in my old instruction box for 20+ years and although definitely not as crisp or clean as they once were, aren't fraying as badly as expected.

And also, the most recent ships from Pirates (IFS) and POTC (Queen Anne's Revenge and Black Pearl) all had cloth sails.

I was unaware that the new sail barge had plastic sails. That is another knock against it..maybe I will end up bricklinking the figures after all...

[Combee]

The corsair ship from the Lord of the Rings line has cloth sails so all is not lost!

[Blondie-Wan]

From a business standpoint, ^ Phoxtane ^ hit it on the head. Durability, plain and simple. From an AFOL standpoint, cloth is better.

Well... for some AFOLs, anyway.

I've actually been mulling over this issue lately, and was thinking about starting a topic on it, but now that this one's here I suppose I won't. I've been wondering whether it might not be better to have plastic rather than fabric for those elements that are die-cut from flat sheets, such as sails, segments of the tops of carousels, etc.

I know cloth looks more realistic, but given that we're already building with inherently unrealistic-looking bricks, minifigures, etc., is that really such a priority? I'm starting to think that maybe plastic items would be better, mainly because of durability. Most regular bricks are remarkably durable items that retain their usefulness for years or even decades, but the fabric sails tend not to endure the way the bricks do unless treated carefully.

[TheLegoDr]

I do agree with you Blondie-Wan about durability and longevity. I'd much prefer if my Black Seas Barracuda sails were crisper and cleaner (of which they would be if plastic instead of cloth), but that isn't how it played out. However, I do wonder how brittle the plastic sails will become over time.

As much as I love displaying my ships, my IFS, QAR and BP all are missing their sails because I don't want them to get dirty/dusty/fray... maybe plastic would be better..

[Brickdoctor]

Won't fray, yes; on the other hand, cloth is much more forgiving if you accidentally crease or fold the piece.

[Faefrost]

I think some of it is the thin plastic holds a rigid shape better over time. So for the sail barge it keeps that arched, bowed shape, and for the teepee it maintains the cone shape. Whereas cloth will eventually soften and sag. Which looks great in places where cloth is appropriate. Sails, awnings etc. but less so when you want a very specific shape over time. The plastic probably also has some cost savings over the thin canvas cloth. So they will use it where they can.

[Aanchir]

I don't think The LEGO Group is planning to phase out textile elements entirely, because minifigure capes still are fabric-based, including all the new ones in the Legends of Chima theme. So if TLG is concerned that plastic sails will look cheaper or less authentic on pirate ships and the like, it's definitely in their power to keep using cloth ones.

Personally, I can see the justification for using plastic sails instead of cloth ones for the tepee in The Lone Ranger, the sails of Jabba's Sail Barge, or the banners in the new Castle sets. When you need a 2D element like that to hold a particular shape, I'd think plastic film would be more reliable and would need less of a supporting structure underneath. Fabric is much more likely to "sag". At the same time, there are some applications where you'd WANT more organic flexibility for the element, such as pirate ship sails (which should "billow" to a certain extent) or minifigure capes (where a more rigid cape would have limited usefulness if, for instance, you needed to use it on a Chima figure where it has to fit over an additional neck accessory). So I think The LEGO Group will keep this consideration in mind.

Now, there is a cost consideration as well, I'm sure. Textile elements are probably treated with some sort of solution to prevent fraying, which adds an additional stage to production. Plastic film elements, in contrast, can simply be die-cut from a single sheet and packaged immediately in sets. But if this worries you, keep in mind that the Pirate Ship Ambush set, another recently-released set, uses textile sails.

[jimmynick]

I don't think The LEGO Group is planning to phase out textile elements entirely, because minifigure capes still are fabric-based, including all the new ones in the Legends of Chima theme.

On the other hand, Poggle the Lesser's wings are in plastic. I don't like the plastic sails - my sail barge from years ago is still wonderful with the cloth. Cloth is also not horribly reflective under certain lighting conditions.

[Brickdoctor]

On the other hand, Poggle the Lesser's wings are in plastic.

Geonosian wings need to be partially transparent. They've been plastic since they were introduced in 2002.

[Blondie-Wan]

I must say, I'd particularly appreciate it if sandtrooper shoulder pauldrons were plastic rather than fabric.

[jimmynick]

Geonosian wings need to be partially transparent. They've been plastic since they were introduced in 2002.

Yes, you're right. My mistake attributing the wings to this new phenomenon.

[Tariq j]

I must say, I'd particularly appreciate it if sandtrooper shoulder pauldrons were plastic rather than fabric.

I agree, it would also be nice if other pauldrons like boba fett, captain Rex and others were plastic.